What you need:

The strap cutter is a tool that allows you to cut strips of leather quickly and accurately. It consists of two parts: the handle and the measuring part where the interchangeable blade is housed.

A strap cutter disassembled into its two main parts and its blade

I recommend using the strap cutter on leather of a certain thickness so that it does not bend or deform during cutting.

First, it is necessary to create a straight edge on our piece with a cutter; then, once the width of the strip we want to cut is chosen, we attach the measuring part to the handle by tightening the appropriate metal clamp and adjust it according to the thickness of the leather we want to cut. Be careful that the blade is facing the handle side.

Attaching the measuring part using the appropriate clamp

Place the strap cutter as shown in the photo, inserting the leather into the guide and ensuring it adheres well to the wooden surface of the strap cutter, and begin the cut.

Proceed this way for the entire length of the leather until you obtain your strip.

The application of the strap cutter to the piece of leather and the start of a cut

A detail of the cutting of a strip
Newly cut leather strips
Newly cut leather strips

The main difficulty you may encounter during the first cuts is not being able to keep the tool perfectly aligned with the leather, resulting in a narrower and wavy strip. To avoid this problem, I recommend keeping the strap cutter well supported on the leather both before and after the measuring part and applying a slight push towards the piece.

If your blade no longer glides smoothly during cutting, it is time to replace it. To do this, simply widen the two rods that make up the measuring part, remove it from the housing, and replace it with a new one.

Replacing the blade of the strap cutter